An Italian cafe faces a $1,050 fine for failing to specify the price of an espresso

This coffee shop forces its customers to finish their work 1:03

(CNN) --

An Italian coffee shop owner is in hot water after being fined 1,000 euros ($1,050) for failing to display the price of a 2-euro ($2.12) espresso.

The owner of the Ditta Artigianale café in Florence was sanctioned by the police after a customer reported him at the end of April for not advertising his prices as required by law.

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Inspector Leonardo Magnolfi, of the Florence local police, told CNN on Thursday that a customer denounced the coffee shop for not displaying the price of coffee behind the counter, as required by law.

The police followed up on the complaint and fined the cafeteria 1,000 euros after verifying that the price was indeed absent.

The cafe's owner, Francesco Sanapo, took to Facebook to complain about the penalty, which he says arose after a customer was shocked by the €2 cost of a decaf espresso.

Sanapo is an award-winning barista and star of "Coffee Hunters," a show on the Italian food channel "Gambero Rosso."

In a post shared on Facebook on Monday, Sanapo said: "I am not here to discuss the fine, that will be done in the competent offices and I am willing to pay for my mistakes."

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However, he said he felt he had to speak up for the good of the hospitality industry and "the future of the Italian coffee shop".

The company touts its fair trade credentials, while its website states that it works "only with good coffees... good in taste and good in ethics."

Sanapo wrote: "I'm here to make sure no one else is shocked if they pay two euros for an espresso. It's a mission and I will carry it out with my head held high."

Sanapo argued that although the price was not visible, it was available in the menu with a QR code.

CNN has contacted Sanapo for further comment.

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Inspector Magnolfi told CNN that officers regularly check food and beverage stores and establishments for violations of the regulations, adding that, on average, they issue about 15 such fines each year, for a range of products including ice cream. and clothes.

Magnolfi said that "displaying the price of a product or good is one of the fundamental principles of consumer protection."

The inspector said he accepted that some were surprised by the fine "which may seem excessive for a two-euro coffee, but that's the law."

He also added that coffee usually costs between 1 and 1.5 euros, which "is probably what alarmed the consumer in the first place."

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